This is good news! Thanks for the article.
VicOn 7/26/16, Linda Gehres <ljgehres@xxxxxxx> wrote:
The Power of Access & Choice: Braille in the 21st centuryYou are subscribed to Ourplace (
by Natalie Martiniello
July 26, 2016
NOTE: Are you a braille user, blindness professional, braille transcriber or
parent of a braille reader? Want to stay informed about the exciting braille
developments described below and more? Check out Braille Literacy Canada.
Nowhere in history is there an invention as pervasive and influential as the
printed word. Print is everywhere, yet we often take its power for granted.
In school, learning to read and write is the backbone for later success,
inclusion and societal participation. Arguably, the most liberating aspect
of the modern age is the power of choice: we can often choose to access
information electronically or in print, depending on what is most ideal for
the situation at hand. But what about those who do not read print?
It is time to reaffirm the importance of Braille for those who use it, and
to consider innovative ways to provide our blind and low vision students
with the same level of choice and freedom that is provided to their sighted
peers.
Audio formats alone are a poor substitute for learning how to spell and
communicate in writing – skills that can only be learned through Braille or
print. And while accessible technology is a great equalizer, what can truly
replace the timeless satisfaction of being able to turn the pages of a book,
or being able to read a menu on your own without a second thought, just like
everyone else?
The question should not be "Does braille still matter?" Literacy equals
equality, freedom, immansapation. These things always matter. The question
is, in what ways can we improve access to braille for those who use it?
Less than 5% of the western world’s information is available in an
alternative format; however, this percentage is significantly lower when
assessing the availability of Braille alone. In the developing world, where
90% of persons with visual impairments reside, less than 1% of published
material is accessible to non-print readers. Logistical red-tape (such as
copyright laws) protect the interests of authors, yet these same laws
prevent countries from sharing the accessible formats they produce, thus
requiring much duplicative reproduction of materials (a process that is both
costly and that greatly delays access to Braille). bookshare provides
thousands of electronic books to those with print disabilities in the United
States, and while access to their collection has significantly expanded
within Canada, many of these books are not yet available to Canadians due to
copyright laws.
Built-in accessibility features (such as those found in Apple's iPhone/iPad
and Google's Android) allow users to activate speech-output software that
will read aloud content on the screen, without the need to first purchase
expensive, third-party accessibility solutions. Many of these mainstream
solutions can also be connected to refreshable braille displays, providing
instantaneous access to braille. Whereas braille learners were traditionally
limited by the small volume of available hardcopy braille, much of which may
have been below their reading and interest level, those with access to
braille displays can now also practise braille while surfing their favourite
websites and social media platforms.
Refreshable Braille displays improve availability to Braille, but these
products have been traditionally expensive (often costing several thousands
of dollars). Though Quebec maintains a program that provides eligible
individuals with technical devices they may otherwise not afford, this is
not the case in all provinces. In a study by the Adaptech Research Network,
students with disabilities commented on the barriers that hinder their
ability to complete their programs of study, and access to information
ranked among the top four obstacles noted by respondents .
So, where are we now? We are witnessing a revolutionary shift in the ways in
which we access not only braille, but also electronic and auditory reading
formats. In June, Canada became the 20th country to ratify the Marrakesh
Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind,
Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print-Disabled. The treaty, which will
become effective at the end of September, aims to address the book famine
experienced by blind, visually impaired and other print-disabled persons in
two key ways: by requiring countries which ratify the Treaty to have an
exception to domestic copyright law for visually impaired and print disabled
people, and by allowing for import and export of accessible versions of
books and other copyrighted works without copyright holder permission. this
means that member-countries will not have to duplicate efforts to repeatedly
reproduce materials that are already available in an accessible format
elsewhere.
English-speaking countries have now also adopted Unified English Braille -
UEB. UEB is an update to the braille code that eliminates the variations
found among braille codes of different English-speaking countries and the
need for students to learn different codes depending on the text they are
reading. The changes are minor for readers of literary material, but the
implications are significant. UEB allows for easier and more accurate
automatic translation of print to braille by translation software (because
many of the inconsistencies within the code have been eliminated). It also
allows for the more fluid sharing of braille material among English-speaking
countries since there is now one unified, English braille code.
Finally, it is arguably the most exciting moment in history to be a braille
reader, thanks to the revolutionary explosion of technological advancements
in recent years. Leading this revolution is the Transforming Braille
Project, which has resulted in the development of the first low-cost braille
display available to readers, known as the Orbit Reader braille display. The
Orbit Reader will bring braile into the hands of more readers of refreshable
braille than ever before because it will cost approximately $400 in
comparison to the $3000 or more of traditional braille displays.
But the innovations don't stop there. The Blitab tablet will provide readers
with a full-page of refreshable braille at an affordable cost. Expected to
be launched in late 2016, the braile Dot watch is advertised as the first
braille "smart watch". And, the Refreshable Tactile Graphics display,
developed by Orbit Research for the American Printing House for the Blind,
is being called a revolution in access to tactile graphics - allowing
braille users, for the first time, with access to on-screen tactile graphics
such as pie charts, bar graphs, geometric forms, maps, floor-plans,
flow-charts, line drawings, and dynamic graphical content. Announced just
this month, field-testing for this ground-breaking device is set to begin in
fall 2016. What a game-changer that will be!
More than 200 years since the 13-year old Louis Braille invented the Braille
code, Braille still continues to be relevant, and I write today to say that
it is not only irreplaceable, but meeting the 21st century head-on.
It is an exciting time to be a braille user and to watch the future unfold
before our eyes -- or should I say, beneath our fingers!
http://www.blindcanadians.ca/participate/blog/2016/07/power-access-choice-braille-21st-century
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